Family Activities: Infant Fun (3-6 years)

Elephant POOPOOPAPER Park in Chiang Mai

If you are in Chiang Mai with younger children, add a stop at Elephant POOPOOPAPER Park. Kids will be fascinated the fact that elephant poop can be used for eco-friendly souvenirs – a wonderful initiative of sustainable tourism. It is an eco-friendly, naturally built, outdoor museum park that introduces and explains the unique steps involved in making paper products from elephant poop fibers. They strive to offer a genuinely innovative, entertaining, informative and eco-friendly experience to visitors – one that is uniquely Thai!

Thaketa is a little-known village made up of several independent, family-run craft workshops on the outskirts of Yangon. On arrival a small trishaw is ready to transport the family through narrow, maze-like streets to visit six hand-selected artisanal shops. On this journey you visit pottery artists, rice straw artisans, clay modelling workshops and much more.

Not far from the famous Badaling section of the Great Wall sits a hidden gem: a three-plus mile stretch of this ancient structure that has yet to be fully renovated. Kids (and adults) can make their own mark in history by helping to restore an ancient section of the Great Wall. Guided by a preservation team, you will hand lay three bricks using the same materials used centuries ago – including mortar that contains sticky rice! Then spend as long as you like climbing this remote and unfinished section of the wall.

Transport yourself back 2100 years ago to help Emperor Qin fill his enormous tomb with warriors made by your own hands. With the guidance of a master and using the same clay from the pits themselves, guests have the chance to sculpt their own mini Terracotta Warrior to take home.

The Ghibli Museum is the animation and art museum of Miyazaki Hayao’s Studio Ghibli, one of Japan’s most famous animation studios. They have produced many feature length films with worldwide distribution such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. The museum itself is whimsically designed in the distinct style of the studio’s films, and many of their famous characters are there, including a life-sized robot from Castle in the Sky on the rooftop garden. The museum also has a cafe, children’s play area, a rooftop garden and a gift shop – making it a great attraction for all ages!

Kids love to make noise as we all know, so why not give them all the tools to do so? Taiko drumming has recently soared in popularity all over the world, with drumming troupes selling out arenas worldwide. “Taiko” literally means “big drum” in Japanese. Destination Asia Japan can arrange for families to enjoy a taiko drumming lesson in either Tokyo or Kyoto, where they can learn the correct drumming technique and join forces with other participants in the lesson to create a full performance.